Watching what is happening in recent years in the sports market food hype around the BCAA, one might involuntarily become interested in: a are they really that effective? What they say on this subject recent research findings? Find out the answer from an insider industries with many years of experience Chris Lockwood.
In the late summer of 2017, for approximately 72 hours, I received a flurry of emails, sms and calls from colleagues, clients, friends and those whom I call beggars: those who pretend to be yours friends or leads, but really just They want to squeeze as much information out of you for free. All these people wanted to know my opinion about a new review article by Robert R. Wolfe, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition Branched Chain Amino Acids and the synthesis of muscle proteins in the human body: a myth or reality?”.
Many of those who read this article did not conclude the use of branched chain amino acids (BCAA). The author’s conclusion is as follows: “BCAAs themselves by themselves are not conducive to stimulating muscle anabolism. ” It is claimed that to increase the level of muscle protein synthesis only the full complement of essential amino acids (EAA) is effective. The effect, produced by the article, has not ceased to this day: in social networks “BCAA not working” posts appear, and subsequent objections only added fuel to the fire.
There are also many videos on the topic – Why BCAA is not work.
Wolf is the director of the Center for Translational Research at Aging and Longevity Institute for Research on Aging them. Reynolds. He conducted extensive research in the field of muscle metabolism. He is also a consultant to TriVita Wellness, multilevel marketing companies promoting the product under called MyoHealth, which contains a proprietary combination essential amino acids, one of whose developers also is wolfe. Looking ahead, I agree with the above conclusion Professor Wolfe that the EAA complex versus BCAA is a better or at least more comprehensive solution to ensure muscle growth and recovery. But this is only part the truth. I suggest looking at the situation as a whole, and here’s what for you need to know this.
- The principle of “all or nothing”
- So do BCAAs work at all?
- Lab Vs. Gym
- The Effectiveness of BCAA Is Within the Limits of Reasonable
The principle of “all or nothing”
With the disappearance of at least one of the necessary components the whole process stops.
For example, to activate leg muscle growth, an exercise in itself is an excellent “catalyst”, but if at this body does not receive the corresponding complex of amino acids (and also cofactors), then the missing amino acids will be extracted from other muscles. This may result in microtrauma volume. muscle fiber caused by training exposure will exceed reciprocal synthesis of muscle protein, and instead of muscle gain, can be in a state of negative nitrogen balance.
As mentioned above, the effectiveness of isolated reception BCAA is lower compared to taking the full EAA kit. BCAA includes leucine, valine and isoleucine – three of the nine essential amino acids, which the human body must receive from food sources. The other six are also important. In addition, depending from diet and training intensity, may occur the need for the so-called conditionally irreplaceable amino acids.
However, it should be noted that the advantage of the EAA complex over BCAA can fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including the overall the number of circulating or still metabolized as a result last meal (or supplement) of amino acids and other nutrients. If you used before training a protein shake or high-quality, protein-rich food, then taking an EAA supplement is unlikely to affect muscle growth intensification is worse or better than isolated administration BCAA.
If the pre-workout meal was “vegan” and the body wasn’t got enough leucine, then the effectiveness of taking BCAA and full the set of essential amino acids will be the same. That is, the creation surplus of all essential amino acids and other vital nutrient management is the most effective strategy intensification of muscle anabolism of the whole body, but additional taking BCAAs or all EAAs may make an additional contribution to depending on the diet.
So do BCAAs work at all?
In short, yes.
“Energy and proteins / amino acids in combination with power workouts are key to muscle growth, and EAA complexes, like whey protein, they’re very effective here, ” during email correspondence Juha Hulmi, Ph.D, one of the world’s leading muscle protein synthesis researchers, associate professor Jyväskylä University, Finland. In doing so, he adds: “In his BCAA queue may be useful in situations where diet inferior (for example, to make up for leucine deficiency in the diet vegans) or as a supplement to a low-protein diet, and also for bedtime, which is important for very busy people, as well as in as a component of a pre-competitive diet, as is the case with bodybuilders. ”
The conclusion of the author of the work mentioned at the beginning convinced many who read it in the absence of evidence that supplements, containing BCAAs are able to positively influence muscle synthesis proteins, being consumed in the postabsorption period, at least four hours after ingestion (or its substitute). This is not true.
Lab Vs. Gym
Even when taken in an absorbent digestive period, BCAA may be effective for healthy people. Maybe not in that degrees that a whole set of EAA or whey protein but still it is much better than taking only leucine or nothing at all.
But have you ever heard a recommendation for a bodybuilder or some other athlete to train hard in absorptive period in order to increase muscle mass or development motor qualities? Hardly. I think even from those experts who joined the BCAA don’t work promotion.
I believe anyone who has studied at least a bit of mass recruitment issues or sportsmanship, in contrast, met with information on the need to take supplements or protein-rich foods and other nutrients 1-2 hours before class. Exactly subject to such conditions – when working muscles, even limited, but all the necessary nutrients are available, mainly BCAAs are used, but not in lieu of the meal or protein supplement.
The Effectiveness of BCAA Is Within the Limits of Reasonable
Radical critics of BCAA supplements are often not understand the differences between their practical application and experimentally given conditions, or they build criticism, starting from some loud advertising BCAA.
Of course, any “expert” claiming that BCAAs are a complete, independent muscle stimulation tool anabolism is wrong and reprehensible. But also argue about BCAA’s inability to promote muscle protein synthesis during any conditions are just as erroneous.
For some reason supporters of the “BCAA do not work” are ignored studies that have proven the ability of BCAA improve a number of indicators. For example, in a 2014 review article, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrcion Hospitalaria, it was concluded that BCAA before or during training on endurance reduces fatigue, the acuity of pain perception and load intensity, muscle tissue trauma, increases anabolic and immune response to stress, accelerates recovery processes in the body.
In a later systematic review published in the journal “Nutrients”, it is concluded that when taken in a dose of 91 milligrams for every 454 grams of body weight for how at least 10 consecutive days, before high-intensity (“destructive”) training, BCAAs contribute to a significant reduction in markers of skeletal muscle damage.
According to the author of these lines, BCAA is quite appropriate to eat between main meals or during training, when they can provide additional stimulation of anabolic processes and compete with fatigue-inducing amino acid tryptophan for entry into the bloodstream of the brain. Of course, instead, you can take full EAA complexes or whey protein, but BCAAs also work.